Making films that people want to watch … again

Permission to fly sir?

After quite a few months of training, exams, practise and practical tests, we applied to the CAA for permission to carry out commercial work using our camera carrying hexacopter, Oedipus Hex. Ok, so perhaps multi-rotor flying machines like this are more commonly referred to as drones.

Hexacopter, drone, SUA, SUSA ,UAV. Whatever you call it, Jeremy achieved exceptionally high marks in the written exam and was signed off at the highest grade by the flight test examiner back at the beginning of April, when we were assured that our CAA permission “certificate” would be through in a matter of a couple of weeks or so.

We waited, we enquired what was happening. No responses. We went round that loop a few more times until in frustration we complained – within a few hours, the permission was emailed to us, 81 days (that’s at least half a summer) after all the paperwork went in. Of course, we’re sure that was a pure coincidence. It’s been a long and frustrating haul and to suggest that we are relieved is something of an understatement.

CAA permission for us to “conduct aerial work”.

Goodness knows what happened but we are at last able, if it’s not raining, to get airborne and capture stunning images, as either stills or movies, for our lovely clients.

Holding the CAA permission also allows us to actively promote the fact that we are fully qualified and expensively insured (to the tune of an eye-watering £5m) to carry out such aerial work commercially.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for a number of drone operators who are flying for “a consideration” without the legally required permission. We can but hope that they don’t experience any serious problems, for their sakes and for their clients’.

We have a separate site detailing some of the services that Captain Gugenheim and his camera crew (that’ll be me then) are able to offer. Check it out at sightspecific.uk

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